What My Mommy Friends Have Taught Me

In the last year, a lot of my wonderful lifelong friends have become moms. I've discussed what happens when your friends have babies more than once.  I've also discussed all of my own fears about having kids of my own. Spoiler alert, I'm still deathly afraid of having my own kids. My darling class of children this year has done nothing to help that. I know I said I would have kids now if I could skip the pregnancy part and just pop out a five year old, but I lied. Five year olds can really be the worst, ha ha. 

Here is what my many mommy friends have taught me: 

1. Babies are cute. Yup, I said it. I'm still not a baby person, but I may like when a baby gives me a cute smile/laugh combination close to as much as I love absurd five year old comments and the click moment when they are learning to read. Close. 

Plus, imagine how cute these kiddos will be when they can talk? I'm sure hilarious things will be said. 

2. Moms can still work full time, and the world will not come crashing down. Clearly I knew this, in theory, but I previously had only one example of a working mom among my friends up until the last year. Every single one of my friends has gone back to work full time, and guess what? Their babies are okay, they are okay, and everyone is happy and healthy. It's sort of a theme throughout these lessons that my friends have just taught me there are so many different ways to do this mother thing and none of them are wrong :) (well- there are wrong things, but my friends aren't' doing those things!)

3. Moms can still make time for their top priorities. Babies need a lot. They take up a lot of time, energy and of course sleep. This has me fearing that my life will become one mess of taking care of babies and work kids and that is all. My mom friends have shown me that I probably will have to cut down on some of the lower priorities in my life, but that if i really want to do something, I can still do it.  

4. Babies don't need a ton of stuff. Well, they do need a ton of stuff if you want to just go out for the afternoon, but everyone who knows me knows this won't really be an issue for me since I am already the most over prepared, giant bag carrier ever. Much lower on my list of fears, but still there nonetheless is the insane amount of STUFF that kids have. I sit at baby showers thinking…. oh my god, I do not ever want that much crap in my house! What my friends have taught me is that baby stuff is very similar to wedding stuff. Many parents want a lot of stuff, just like many brides register for things I couldn't even name. I think that is wonderful for them, because that is what they want. However, I have a couple of friends with babies and kids, who have showed me that babies will still be happy even if we don't buy or register for every possible item. Let the Babies R Us boycott continue. 

5. Moms don't have to be perfect. For every style/debate/decision of parenting, it seems there are people who want to argue. This is better, that is better. It's all very overwhelming. It's obvious to me that there is a lot of pressure on moms to do things a certain way. But the great news is, no one knows what the best way really is. Which leaves it up to my smart and wonderful mommy friends to make decisions that work the best for them. I love this. My mom friends have taken so many different approaches to feeding their baby, putting their baby to sleep, and many more decisions and all the babies are happy, smiling and for the most part, sleeping. It's so comforting to know that there are many right ways. 

Happy Mother's Day to all my wonderful mom friends- and most importantly to my own mom, who set my expectations for a mom so high that I fear I will never meet them :) and of course to Eric's mom, who is the dream Mother in law to have, and I am very, very lucky. 

By next Mother's Day, I will find a photo with my mom that actually includes my brother :) I swear he exists. 

 

April= Complete.

It seems nearly impossible to sum up the month of April in a blog post. There were many highs. Eric and I took a fun and relaxing trip to Washington DC. I did my most major spring cleaning ever, including cleaning every single closet in the house and tidying up and organizing some other areas. I got rid of a LOT, including throwing away, recycling, donating and even selling some clothes. There is nothing in my house right now that I really feel like needs cleaning or organizing, except my car- does that count as in my house? I read 5 new books. 

Unfortunately, there were also some lows this month. The most obvious was when two crazy terrorists decided to kill and injure many people at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, and then, the whole city of Boston and many surrounding towns were placed on lock down, while the second terrorist was found… in a boat, about five minutes from where I teach. Sigh. But, there was a silver lining to what can only be described as a completely terrible and terrifying week, the opportunity to be incredibly proud of Boston and of the many people both here and around the country and world who supported us. This article about the resilience of the human spirit sums up what made me so happy to live in (well, near) this beautiful city. I also acknowledge how incredibly lucky I am to have my friends, family and students all safe. 

This was also not a wonderful month for me on the health front. After having an incredibly healthy winter (perhaps too healthy?) I made up for it this month with a stomach flu and then some other kind of sickness (cold with a fever?) that knocked me down for multiple days. In the grand scheme of things, minor problems but definitely cut into my enjoyment and productivity this month. 

I did well with my April goals actually. I decluttered a LOT. I ate my food before I bought anything new. I reorganized my blog reading and then kept up better than I had been. I did okay on not overcommitting, I still felt like I had too much to do but I think the previously mentioned sickness meant I needed more rest time than usual. 

Here is what is on tap for May. 

1. Focus on health. I refuse to spend even a day of May sick, so I will focus on health this month. Specifically, I will: Floss every single night no matter how tired I am or how much I slacked on getting to bed early enough. I will make an effort to prioritize rest, not just sleep but also having some time to relax. I will cut down on the amount of sugar I eat. I will go to yoga at least 3 times. 

2. Continue the 10 minute clean up. This got pushed to the side a bit this month as I was doing some MAJOR cleaning projects that took much longer than 10 minutes. Now that I have all of that under control, I'd like to get back to the 10 minute clean ups. 

3. I will read 4 books. 

Keeping it simple this month :) What are you looking forward to in May? I am looking forward to going back to the Cape, doing a triathlon and my brother graduating college! 

Washington DC: Where to Drink

I never thought I'd have to do a whole post on Where to Drink, but it turns out it was that kind of vacation. On our last few vacations (Miami and Seattle) Eric has mentioned a bar visited by the guys on the TV show Drinking Made Easy. Somehow we did not make it to a DME spot in either place, so I was determined that we would while in DC. It turns out we made it to three DC Drinking Made Easy spots. Go big or go home? Yes. 

 

Bier Baron: Our first drinking spot was at this basement bar located in the Dupont Circle area. They have 50 beers on draft and they are all craft beers, plus they also have seemingly endless bottles of beer. 

Tune Inn: Tune Inn is a diver bar, located near the Capitol and Library of Congress. We visited here on a Monday (not a holiday in DC) at about 11:30am so you can imagine how hilarious our experience was. We met a small group of bar owners who only have Mondays off and were celebrating a birthday, as well as a few other local people that I'm pretty sure frequent the bar on Monday mornings. Eric got a drink called The Bill Clinton shot. Somehow our time there ended with whiskey shots. I really don't even know how. If you are looking to have a hilarious Monday, I highly recommend visiting this bar. 

Old Ebbitt Grill: I wrote about this place already because we ate dinner here. I actually didn't even have a drink by this point, but you can imagine a place frequented by presidents must have good drinks? I mean, talk about the most stressful job ever. 

POV Roof Terrace and Bar: My last Drink in DC suggestion actually comes as a recommendation from Iowa Girl Eats. As soon as I saw her blog post on this place, I knew we had to go there. It's a beautiful bar located on the top of the W hotel, right next to the White House. It's a beautiful outdoor space, complete with the best view of DC and delicious drinks. What more could you ask for? 

 

Do you enjoy checking out drinking spots on vacation? Where is the best place you've ever had a drink? 

 

Washington DC: Where to Eat and Stay

If you missed what to do in Washington DC, go back to my last post :) 

I'm not an expert on the hotel world in DC, but from my extensive research I'd say: avoid them. They were super expensive in April and the reviews were not great. I decided to go with an apartment I found on Home Away and (airbnb is also a great place to look). I narrowed it down to 3 places based on our budget and what we were looking for (basically a whole apartment, not just a room) and then e-mailed two friends who live in DC to help me narrow down the location. They both thought the Foggy Bottom area of DC would be best for us. They were SO right. Foggy Bottom is a great location to walk to monuments, The White House, and Georgetown. Plus, the Metro was right across the street so we could use that to get to Arlington and any time we were sick of walking. Foggy Bottom also has a CVS, Whole Foods, Starbucks (many choices) and great restaurants. 

We didn't have a bad meal in DC. Here are some places I highly recommend: 

Founding Farmers: If you don't go anywhere else while in DC, I think you should go here (and get a reservation). It was recommended to me by a couple of people, and my local friend picked it out for us. It's owned by a collective of family farmers, and the local food is as good as you would expect it to be. We went there for dinner with a friend of mine, and I ordered this ridiculous fish special they were doing that night. To start we ordered the cornbread, which actually had real corn in it! 

The next morning Eric and I went back for breakfast. I got french toast, which tasted good but my stomach was not impressed by. If I went back I'd get something with eggs. I never though eggs were something that could look amazing, but they really did. 

Pizzeria Paradiso: I left this dinner choice up to another local friend and yet again she did not lead me wrong. There were lots of fun local beer and wine choices, and the pizza was great. They had some good happy hour specials if you get there early and eat in the bar area, definitely a good idea. 

Old Ebbitt Grill: I chose this place myself using my online research. It's right next to the White House, and apparently a favorite of many past presidents and current political insiders, so they say! I knew it would be a bit touristy, but the reviews were good and said the prices were reasonable so we went for it. I'm glad we did. I got a ridiculously yummy crab cake dish for dinner and Eric got a steak, both of us enjoyed our meals. 

Thai Place: Our first night in DC we arrived late, so I researched restaurants right near our apartment that I thought wouldn't be super crazy on a Saturday night at 8pm. I don't think Eric was expecting much since he asked me the name of the Thai Place and I said, "it's Thai Place" haha. Seriously though, this was a great local place and the Thai food was delicious. I had enough leftover to eat it for lunch the next day. Eric has been saying he wants to go back to DC just to eat at this place again, so I think that's a good sign! 

The last place that I think everyone should check out is Georgetown Cupcake. I had heard a lot about this place, but I actually didn't even get that it had a show about it called DC Cupcakes. I am a big fan of Cake Boss so I'm surprised I've never watched this show, but anyways. I really wanted to go and I had learned about the epic lines but luckily I can report on a Monday night we waited no more than 10 minutes. Also, the place is managed well so the line looks kind of intimidating but really they just don't allow insane numbers of people inside (unlike some famous bakeries in Boston) so it's actually a pretty low stress experience. Plus, the cupcakes are really yummy. 

 

What kind of food do you like to eat on vacation? Do you prefer to stay at hotels, houses or apartments? 

Washington DC: What to See & Do

Eric and I went on a quick whirlwind trip to DC early last week. DC was a favorite city of mine as a kid, and it was fun to return after a 10 year break. 

Thanks Caroline for finding this ADORABLE picture of us from my first trip to DC. 

I was determined to have a relatively relaxing few days with Eric so we did not run all over like crazy people. We did walk quite a bit and manage to see a lot in three days. 

On Day 1 we visited the Lincoln Memorial, Korean War Memorial and Vietnam Memorial. There we also saw the Reflection Pool and Washington Monument. I love that unlike Caroline and I (above), Eric basically blocks the entire Washington Monument because he is so tall. Hilarious. 

Next, we headed over the White House (about a 20 minute walk away)...

Our final stop on our super tourist morning was the Old Post Office, located another 10 minute walk from the White House. 

The Old Post Office has a crazy food court in the basement, but the real selling point is the view from the top. It's free to take the elevator up and it's a great view of Washington from above. Don't be intimidated by the security at the door :) 

Our second day of touring involved checking out the Library of Congress and Capitol Building. 

We also revisited a favorite museum of mine from childhood...

Finally, we walked along the mall and discussed all the museums we hope to visit someday!

Our last day we headed over to Arlington to visit the cemetery and the Pentagon Memorial. Of course you know about my Massachusetts Kennedy obsession, so we had to visit his grave. We also went to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier where we were lucky enough to see a guard changing. 

The Pentagon Memorial marks my first memorial visit where I actually remember the event (I have not yet made it to Ground Zero in NYC). The memorial is really artistically interesting. Each victim, both on the plane and in the building, gets a bench and a fountain. Each row is based on the age of the victim, with the youngest being a three year old. The way that the bench faces tells you whether they were on the plane (bench facing towards the Pentagon) or in the building (bench facing outwards). 

DC has truly ENDLESS things you could do, so I can't say any of this is better than anything else. But my goal was to see a lot and not feel crazy, and that was a goal we met :) Next time, I want to see a few more touristy things and have a chance to meet Becky!  One thing is for sure, I will not let another 10 years pass before I'm back in DC. 

What is your favorite thing to do in DC? 

 

The Hard Class: The Silver Lining

I wrote this post last week when I thought I had already addressed the Boston situation. It turns out things got even more crazy on Friday, when total chaos happened about 10 minutes away from me, and my students were placed on lock down all day so they could be safe (at home, no school last week because we were on vacation). I'm relieved it's all over, still can't believe it really happened, and pretty nervous about how things will go tomorrow. But unfortunately, tragedy has struck many times since I started teaching and generally hanging out with 22 kindergartners is the best possible way to start to move on. I know that tomorrow when they share the best part of their vacation, there will be lots of stories of trips, play dates, and baseball games. For that, I am very thankful. Instead of going on forever about Boston, I'll just say I'm very thankful that everyone I know is okay and I'm very proud of my city, the emergency personnel has worked tirelessly to keep us safe and for that I will forever be thankful. Over the course of my life, my pride in the USA has wavered at times, but my pride in Boston has never, and will never. And now back to my regularly scheduled post, because what I have learned this week as I have learned so many times before is to keep everything in perspective.

Even if you are not a teacher, you've probably heard that some years we have great classes, and some years we have rough classes. For me, as a rule, my odd number years have been tough and my even number years have been much better. I used to say Year 3 was the hardest, but I'm telling you, Year 7 is really giving them a run for their money. And Year 7 does not like to lose, so I hope they win to avoid meltdown.

The tough classes are the ones where I can't have an off day or they will eat me alive. The tough classes are the ones where I can't do fun, exciting activities because they get too crazy and someone will probably get hurt. The tough classes are the ones where they encourage, support and enjoy each other's behavior issues. The tough classes are the ones where a lesson I have done 3 or 4 times before suddenly seems like the worst lesson ever.

But the tough classes always have a silver lining. They are always filled, overflowing with, personality. They have the wild boys, the mean girls, and absolutely everything in between. As a result, they are always hilarious. If I ever recorded all my funny stories from teaching, I would probably double the amount with a rough class that I do with a delightful class, maybe even triple. I don't know what it is, but hard kids are always funny.

Hard classes also always make progress. They can never get any worse than they are in September, and so as long as I stick to my routines and my rules, they always make progress. I've never made them into a delightful class, and they often lose that progress when the anxiety and excitement of the first grade transition looms in June, but there is progress nonetheless.

Best of all, sometimes they surprise me. This Thursday my class surprised me and had a moment where they were the most delightful of all the classes. Just a moment. Thursday morning we had a Author Signing. We have been working hard on our writing, and writing progress is by far the most amazing part of kindergarten. They go from barely writing letters to full sentences of adorable kid writing in a 10 month period. My kids were ready to show off an amazing collection of narrative writing, nonfiction books and posters and a slideshow of writing I helped them make on my iPad with an app I will never use again because it did not allow me to save or make any changes (yes, I was aware of this before I began and proceeded anyway- rookie move). As we prepared for the parents to arrive, there was a predictable meltdown, the overexcitement and there was my thought of "what was I thinking?" But miraculously, once the parents arrived, all was well in the world and we made it through with only one technology snafu that I fixed before it was noticed. The kids were happy to show off their writing and sign autographs and the parents were impressed with their child's writing. I was patting myself on the back that we had made it through without losing a kid, having anyone cry, or the most likely wrestling match showdown.

Once the parents had left and it was time for snack, one of my little girl's raised her hand. "Thank you for doing that," she said sweetly, tilting her head of beautiful red curls to the side. "Doing what?" I replied, assuming in true kindergarten form she was talking about something completely random that may or may not have occurred months earlier and was just being remembered or mentioned now. "Having the Writing Celebration!" she exclaimed. "Oh! That's so nice and polite of you to say," I responded, genuinely shocked that a child would recognize that I put any effort in at all and mentally questioning if perhaps her mom had told her to say that. "But actually, you guys did all the work, you did all that writing, it wasn't my writing!" I continued. Another child cuts in (without raising his hand, obviously), "Yeah but, you TAUGHT us how to do the writing!"

In that moment I think, maybe this is the best class I've ever had.

Boston, You're My Home.

I was not at the Boston Marathon on Monday. In fact, Eric and I were on a whirlwind trip to DC, so I was nowhere near the marathon. But, the flood of text messages, e-mails, and tweets I received is enough to show me just how easily I could've been. I've been to the marathon a million times, and my uncle was running it so if I was here, I definitely would've been watching it somewhere along the route. 

I'm not going to lie. I am scared about how common it has become for there to be a crisis. I am scared that the last crisis was in an elementary school classroom and the most recent crisis was in my city. It's too close. Actually, no matter where it is, or what it is, it is still too close. 

But I am also thankful that in these terrible moments, we very clearly see the good in most people. It's easy to let a dark cloud highlight only the terrible person responsible for this. But there are so many good people, and their light is overpowering the shadow.

I am thankful that most people are putting aside our differences, to support the people affected by these terrible events. I am thankful that even as far away as Australia, wonderful people are rooting for Boston. No matter what, I will always root for Boston.